Air Force: It’s time to pull the plug on JSTARS; Congress: Not so fast

Space News ^ | 3/31/18 | Sandra Erwin

[Paladin2]

Build the Wall.

[SkyPilot]

Contractors still plan to submit proposals should Congress keep the program alive over the objections of the Air Force

And there you have it. Boeing has bought off the politicians again. The Air Force does not want new JSTARS platforms. This is a weapon system that began design phase back in the mid 80's, and was first fielded during the first Gulf War. It has done its job, and the Air Force is correct: it is too vulnerable and there are better solutions.

However, just as Boeing stole the tanker contract from EADS (after EADS won the source selection fair and square), crooked Boeing is going to strong arm its bought and paid for politicians into giving it some more Billion dollar contract to build something that the Air Force itself is fighting to not purchase and to save the taxpayers money.

[DuncanWaring]

EADS did not win the tanker decision fair-and-square; the Air Force violated their own rules on proposal evaluation to give them the initial win.

[Revolutionary]

I built the whole future JSTARS replacement structure for the AF back in 1996. For political reasons it has been a closely guarded secret. They only mention a small piece of the structure in the article and the wrong concept for the spaceborne portion. It took a few years for one of the key enablers, but the tech is available now.
The people that talk this way about satellites have no understanding of orbital mechanics.
I also showed them how to get an entirely new tanker fleet for free, but he that we will not speak his name messed that up.

[FreeReign]

Ah JSTARS. Those were the days at NGC.

[Midwesterner53]

When did the AF become concerned with war fighting? The most politically correct of all the services has been concerning itself more with cross dressers being welcomed, heathen “chapels” at the Academy, making sure lesbians and homosexuals are in the highest and most influential positions, etc.

[SkyPilot]

Oh that is such claptrap.

Boeing protested on bogus grounds. They whined about every detail of the source selection that EADS won, and like unethical lawyers, looked for any loophole to latch onto their half cocked arguments, including specious claims about fuel costs and "illegal" subsidies (which were not illegal).

Boeing stealing the multi-billion dollar contract from EADS was pure politics. Pure. Politics.

And now.....Boeing is doing a terrible job delivering the aircraft. The Air Force is livid. Boeing has the money in the bank, so they no longer seem to care. They are focusing resources on their lucrative commercial contracts, and are telling US national security that basically they will "Get around to it" when they are good and ready.

[OrioleFan]

I worked on the original radar processor for JSTARS in the 80s. Our engineers converted a mainframe size parallel processor to a 6”x9” double-sided card and added a special function to process radar data. 5 of these cards plus 3 memory cards and a driver card were put in a ATR rack. I converted memory diagnostics from the Advanced Flexible Processor mainframe to the uAFP. I also worked side by side with the hardware engineers exploiting hardware features to create special purpose diagnostics. The language was Micro Code Assembly Language. The processor flew on the prototypes and early production models. It was later replaced by another vendors processor I was told.

[lodi90]

The GOP filled up the omnibus bill with BILLIONS in junk the DOD didn’t ask for and refused to fund the wall. Now DOD under Mattis is refusing to help POTUS on the wall! How about that tag team!

[SkyPilot]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting that.

I remember the search for a suitable platform for JSTARS. The AWACS System Program Office assisted at first, but JSTARS took off on it own very quickly.

There were other aircraft considered, but in the end the basic KC-135/707 airframe won out.

I think the fact that the Navy TACAMO chose the 135/707 airframe was the kicker.

[lodi90]

They are focusing resources on their lucrative commercial contracts, and are telling US national security that basically they will “Get around to it” when they are good and ready.

---

I imagine they will soon have some excess capacity when the Chicoms and/or Iranians cancel orders.

[FreeReign]

Boeing protested on bogus grounds. They whined about every detail of the source selection that EADS won, and like unethical lawyers, looked for any loophole to latch onto their half cocked arguments, including specious claims about fuel costs and "illegal" subsidies (which were not illegal). Boeing stealing the multi-billion dollar contract from EADS was pure politics. Pure. Politics.

Yup. NGC AND teammate EADS.

[Paladin2]

DC is filled to the gills with anti-Trumpers.

[fedupjohn]

Bttt

[2CAVTrooper]

No, Boeing went to their paid assets in Congress and had them force the Airforce to rewrite the requirements after the fact in order to favor Boeing.

[SkyPilot]

I imagine they will soon have some excess capacity when the Chicoms and/or Iranians cancel orders.

You're more right than you know.

And yes, Boeing was 100% behind the Iranian "deal." Who cares that Obama sold out our nation?

Boeing had a chance to make some money.

Related: Trump moves to bar Boeing-Iran agreement

[SkyPilot]

Boeing went to their paid assets in Congress and had them force the Airforce to rewrite the requirements after the fact in order to favor Boeing.

Bingo.

[Pining_4_TX]

This is why just piling more money on the defense department is a waste. The purchasing is almost all political now. Defense contractors have strategically placed facilities in various congressional districts, so that they will have several congressmen in their pockets just in case the military decides it really doesn’t want what they are selling. It’s a giant scam.

[OrioleFan]

It was one of the most fun projects I ever worked on. I’m an assembly language programmer from the early 70’s, predominantly on Control Data Corporation mainframes.